Fans react as Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid drop cryptic Sunday note

A pair of cryptic social media posts from two of the National Hockey League’s biggest stars has sparked confusion — and plenty of excitement — among fans.

It all started on Sunday when Connor McDavid, captain of the Edmonton Oilers, shared a photo of himself holding a small circular object. The caption read: “Need a smaller stick for this…” and he tagged Auston Matthews in the post. On its own, the message left many scratching their heads.

The mystery deepened when Auston Matthews, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, responded with a photo of what appeared to be a mini puck, captioned: “I got the puck,” while tagging McDavid in return.

Neither superstar has revealed exactly what’s going on, but fans were quick to connect the dots. The posts appear to be part of a viral marketing campaign by McDonald’s — strongly hinting at the return of its popular mini hockey sticks. In McDavid’s original image, the brand’s signature red coloring is visible in the background, along with what looks like the tip of the iconic golden arches.

A closer look at the packaging suggests several other NHL stars could be involved in the promotion, including Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers, Samuel Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens, and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.

The items appear to be tied to the 2025–26 NHL season. However, one small detail caught fans’ attention — Quinn Hughes is shown in Vancouver colors on the packaging, which has raised some eyebrows depending on future roster moves.

For now, the stars are keeping quiet — but the buzz suggests something nostalgic could be making a comeback soon.